Mrs Peacock's Million Dollar Feather
by Kenneth Hand
Summary: At the latest weekend visit to Boddy Manor, Mrs. Peacock arrives wearing a rare red peacock feather. Who is willing to kill to get her feather?


Mrs. Peacock's Million Dollar Feather

By KENNETH HAND

For more mysteries, please visit the Complete Clue Guide at clueguide dot com.

GUESTS:  
>Ms. Scarlet Col. Mustard Mrs. White Mr. Green Mrs. Peacock Prof. Plum<p>

WEAPONS:  
>Knife Revolver Rope Wrench Lead Pipe Candlestick<p>

ROOMS:  
>Hall Lounge Dining Room Kitchen Ball Room Conservatory Billiard Room Library Study<p>

SECRET PASSAGES:  
>Conservatory - Lounge Kitchen - Study<p>

It was late on a sunny Friday afternoon at Boddy mansion. Firey beams of sunlight shone in all the windows on the west side of the mansion, lighting the rooms up like a theatre stage. Mr. Boddy's weekend guests had arrived for their latest weekend visit, and were settling in to their guestrooms.

Once they had settled in, Mrs. White summoned the guests to the Dining Room for dinner by banging the enormous gong in the Hall. Mrs. White knew that the gong annoyed the guests, which was part of the reason why she continued to use it. One by one, the guests descended the front stairs and made their way into the Dining Room. Mrs. Peacock arrived last, wearing an enormous hat that was adorned with what appeared to be a large, red peacock feather.

"Fancy your new hat, Mrs. Peacock," Mr. Green said, as he helped himself to salad. "Is that feather real?"

"How rude!" Mrs. Peacock croaked. "I would never wear a faux feather. For your information, this feather comes from the rare, endangered red peacock, which can only be found on Firebird Island, in the south Pacific."

Mr. Boddy nodded, impressed. "I've heard of that bird. From what I understand, those feathers are worth over a million dollars."

The guests all oo-ed and ahh-ed.

"Unfortunately," Mr. Boddy added, "This has led to poachers flocking to Firebird Island,  
>and so the red peacock is now nearly extinct."<p>

The greedy looks on the guests' faces changed to indifference.

"I simply love the colour," Ms. Scarlet commented, and reached over to stroke the feather. Mrs. Peacock slapped her hand away.

"Please do not touch the feather, Ms. Scarlet. Your hands are filthy," Peacock reproached her. Scarlet scowled, but continued to gaze at Mrs. Peacock's rare feather.

"Is it legal to purchase such feathers?" inquired Professor Plum.

"Of course," Mrs. Peacock said matter-of-factly. "I acquired the feather from a local merchant, who came across a few scattered feathers in his village."

Colonel Mustard, who was not one to be left out of a conversation, tapped his plate with the handle of his fork. "My squadron was stationed on Firebird Island for six months at the end of the war," he announced. The other guests ignored him.

"Do you plan on selling the feather at some point?" Mr. Boddy asked Mrs. Peacock. "It would certainly make for a welcome addition to my collection of exotic feathers."

"Perhaps down the road," Peacock answered, as Mrs. White served the entrees. "Exotic feathers are known to escalate in value over time."

As they dug in to their steaks, the guests all plotted to steal Mrs. Peacock's rare red feather.

LATER THAT EVENING...

The guests all left the Dining Room and made their way to other rooms in the mansion.  
>Mrs. White, who had hidden a Knife in her apron, returned to the Kitchen to clean up.<br>Col. Mustard went to the Library to read books about great military coups, by the light of the Candlestick. Mr. Green and Ms. Scarlet, who held the Rope and Wrench respectively,  
>went to the Ball Room to practise ball room dancing. And Professor Plum and Mrs. Peacock retired to the Lounge to read, Plum hiding the Lead Pipe and Revolver in his pockets. Mr. Boddy excused himself for the evening and went to bed.<p>

"You know, Ms. Scarlet," Mr. Green said to Scarlet as they whirled around the Ball Room,  
>"It would be awfully unfortunate if Mrs. Peacock were to, hum, misplace her red feather."<p>

"It would," Ms. Scarlet agreed. "If, for example, the lights were to go out, and the feather were to mysteriously disappear."

Mr. Green nodded enthusiastically. "I just so happen to know where the mansion's circuit breaker is. Perhaps I should go check on it."

Scarlet nodded. "And perhaps I should go find Mrs. Peacock, to ensure that her feather is safe and sound."

With that, Scarlet and Green switched weapons and left the Ball Room.

Colonel Mustard, meanwhile, had grown restless after reading only ten pages of 'The Adventures Of Sal the Soldier'. His mind revolved around Mrs. Peacock's red feather.  
>Was Peacock safe as long as she was wearing that hat? More importantly, was the feather safe? Who knew whether another guest might attempt to steal the feather in sheer cold blood? Mustard decided to track down Mrs. Peacock and urge her to leave the feather with him.<p>

"Only I could properly guard it," Mustard said aloud to himself, and left the Library with the Candlestick.

At that very moment, Mrs. Peacock, who was getting bored sitting in the Lounge with Professor Plum, took the Secret Passage from the Lounge to the Conservatory to look at plants. Plum remained in the Lounge with his book about Firebird Island.

Mrs. White, who had finished cleaning in the Kitchen, took the Secret Passage to the Study, and from there went to the Hall.

Just then, the lights went out. Everyone screamed, except Mr. Boddy, who was fast asleep in his bedroom.

Ms. Scarlet entered the only room not to have been previously mentioned. There she encountered a guest who had just come from the Library.

"Where's Peacock?" the other guest asked Scarlet. Scarlet shook her head.

"I don't know, but switch weapons with me. I like yours better."

"I think not," the guest responded, and knocked Scarlet out with his weapon. The guest left Scarlet in the room, taking took her weapon as well as his own.

The guest with the Wrench, meanwhile, entered the Kitchen. Finding no one there,  
>he took the Secret Passage to the adjoining room, which was also empty. Determined to find Mrs. Peacock, he left the Study.<p>

One of the guests with two weapons entered the room where the only other guest with two weapons was sitting. They agreed to switch weapons, and the guest who had entered the room stayed put, while the other guest left for the Dining Room. At the same time, the only guest besides Peacock to not have a blunt weapon, went to the Study, where he or she came across another guest. They switched weapons and left the room.

Mr. Green left the room he was in for the Conservatory, but Mrs. Peacock had just left. She entered either the Hall, the Lounge or the Study, where she discovered one of the guests with two weapons.

"Hand over the red peacock feather, Peacock," the guest said.

"Absolutely not," Mrs. Peacock replied. Before she could leave the room, however,  
>the guest struck her with a blunt weapon, and took her hat.<p>

WHO KILLED MRS. PEACOCK? WHERE? WITH WHAT?

SCROLL DOWN -

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>-<p>

COL. MUSTARD in the LOUNGE with the LEAD PIPE

Luckily for Mrs. Peacock, Colonel Mustard only grazed her ear. He had no intention of stealing the hat whatsoever; he only wanted to safeguard the hat for Peacock from the other guests until the end of the weekend.


End file.
